Richard Neupert, the Wheatley Professor of the Arts in theatre and film studies, has published French Animation History, the first book dedicated exclusively to this element in the history of cinema.
The book reveals how French animators forged their own visual styles, narrative modes and technological innovations to construct a distinct national style while avoiding the clichés and conventions of Hollywood’s commercial cartoons.
It includes more than 80 color and black-and-white images from the most influential films, from early silent animation to the recent internationally renowned Persepolis.
During the past decade, scores of important French animated films have been restored and released on DVD, making many of the titles mentioned in the book available for classroom use for the first time.
